Tag "Sustainability"

DNA barcoding of more than 1,400 seafood products certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has revealed that less than 1% were mislabelled, compared with an average of 30% across the sector as a whole.
The MSC is the international NGO that sets the standard for sustainable fishing around the world and its blue label – on products in store, on fresh fish counters and on restaurant menus – indicates that seafood has been sustainably caught and traced back to its source.
More than 300 fisheries in over 34 countries are certified to the MSC’s standard and more than 35,000 seafood products worldwide carry the label.
Hi-tech eco-labelling of certified fish products has been proven to be effective in stamping out seafood fraud across the world, according to research published on Tuesday.
The peer-reviewed findings, in the journal Current Biology, suggest that the MSC’s eco-labelling and monitoring of the supply chain are an effective deterrent to fraud.
“In the past, this has included some of the most loved species, such as cod, being substituted by farmed catfish, which can undermine consumer trust and efforts to maintain sustainable fisheries.” DNA methods have been widely used to detect species mislabelling, and a recent meta-analysis of 4,500 seafood product tests from 51 peer-reviewed publications found an average of 30% were not as stated on the label or menu.
In the present study – the largest and most comprehensive assessment of MSC-labelled products – it worked with laboratories of the Trace Wildlife Forensics Network and Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture‘s wildlife DNA forensic unit to identify the species in 1,402 MSC-certified fish products from 18 countries.
All mislabelling involved white fish (cod, hake, hoki) and flatfish products.
Rob Ogden, the head of conservation genetics at the University of Edinburgh and programme director of the Trace Wildlife Forensics Network, said: “The use of DNA tools to detect substitution in the fish supply chain until now essentially revealed a depressing story.
Our research flips this on its head and demonstrates how we can apply similar technology to validate the success of eco-labels in traceable, sustainable fishing.”

Bill Tai of the Bitfury Group and the man who conceptualized the Blockchain Summit four years ago, saw it as an opportunity.
Instead of shifting locations to a randomly chosen destination, the event should be hosted somewhere that made sense in the context of the important conversations being had.
“Working together, we have one goal — to bring global leaders from every sector to the table to speak openly about our greatest challenges and take meaningful steps to fix them,” Vavilov said.
“We think blockchain technology is a crucial part of that story.” There’s no doubt Africa and the Middle East present their own set of issues that require a fresh set of eyes.
Sustainable Applications Of Blockchain During a panel titled ‘Saving the Planet (A Bit at a Time)’ summit participants reported back on a brainstorming session around blockchain technology as a solution for issues of our time.
Sustainable supply chains were presented as an opportunity for blockchain to provide transparency — a feature that’s currently missing and preventing many consumers, who have the best of intentions, from making considered choices.
People want to make the right choices, and blockchain enables that.
The solution presented was to connect buildings power supplies via the blockchain and enable trading between buildings.
Honu was created in partnership with ACTAI Global and Ocean Elders as a charity application of blockchain technology, the proceeds of which will go towards ocean conservation.
“Honu is the very first in a lineage of CryptoKitty icons representing the charities and causes they embody.” Honu is being auctioned off from July 9th to July 15th in a charity fundraiser at the Blockchain Summit.

Sure, the top two restaurants are pricey, but still a third of the price compared to similar NYC restaurants.
Here are top restaurants with a sustainable/farm-to-table element that you’ll want to make reservations for: AmaZ – Gourmet dishes from the Peruvian Amazon using ingredients from small, local producers.
Stay in Barranco or Miraflores.
Take a food tour.
We did the Lima’s Colors and Flavors tour, which included a visit to the fish market, lunch in a family-owned restaurant, a visit to a market to try some exotic fruits, and some Amazonian fish and plantain balls.
If you want an even more food-focused experience, they also offer a market tour and cooking class.
Don’t forget the street food.
Top-notch street food is everywhere in Lima, and Peru in general.
Look, you should know that Lima has to ship in its produce from other areas of Peru – it’s a desert city.
That doesn’t make it less fresh or delicious.

Growing up, Easter was always one of my favorite holidays.
Instead of Plastic Eggs, Try Real Eggs Those plastic eggs are inexpensive, colorful and oh so exciting to see peeking out from the grass during an Easter egg hunt.
Kids will absolutely love being able to create their own colorful Easter eggs, and there are some incredible tutorials online detailing how to make nontoxic egg dye from beets, turmeric, cabbage and more!
It may seem counterintuitive, but doing this doesn’t make kids feel deprived — it encourages them to place value on the holiday, rather than the gifts or treats that come along with it.
Instead of Disposable Baskets, Try Making One That Lasts It’s no wonder those inexpensive Easter baskets are so popular — they’re just a few dollars apiece, bright, colorful and adorned with adorable designs.
But, just like plastic eggs, these cute baskets just aren’t designed to last.
Revisiting their bright baskets year after year will help shift the meaning of the holiday from a disposable smash-and-grab to a treasured tradition.
Just make sure to choose something that can be recycled — or better yet, reused — after the excitement is over.
Many people worry that greening a holiday like this will strip all joy from the occasion and your kids will grow up with the memory of dour, minimalist or colorless celebrations, but as someone who has been doing this type of thing for years, I can promise you it’ll be anything but.
Your kids love the hunt more than the candy and the togetherness more than the stuff.

Climate change is having an impact but that’s a controversial, unsettled issue in the western US Twenty years ago, Anthem sprung out of virgin desert, a community “masterplanned” from scratch with schools, shops, restaurants and spacious homes – many behind high walls and electronic gates – and its own country club and golf course.
Phoenix gets less than eight inches of rainfall each year; most of the water supply for central and southern Arizona is pumped from Lake Mead, fed by the Colorado river over 300 miles away.
Last month, the US government calculated that two thirds of Arizona is currently facing severe to extreme drought; last summer 50 flights were grounded at Phoenix airport because the heat – which hit 47C (116F) – made the air too thin to take off safely.
Phoenix and its surrounding area is known as the Valley of the Sun, and downtown Phoenix – which in 2017 overtook Philadelphia as America’s fifth-largest city – is easily walkable, with restaurants, bars and an evening buzz.
The Hoover Dam holds much of the Colorado’s flow in the vast Lake Mead reservoir, but the river itself is sorely depleted.
Now the valley is dominated by mega-farms growing winter vegetables for export and thirsty alfalfa for the cattle feed market.
Most American cities use more resources than necessary and that’s the way they were designed.
Overstretched Cities is an in-depth look at how urbanisation has seen cities all over the world mushroom in size, putting new strain on infrastructure and resources – but in some cases offering hope for a more sustainable relationship with the natural world.
Over the course of the week, Guardian Cities correspondents will look beyond the numbers to tell the stories of people affected by the 21st century’s population and consumption boom.
From sprawling cities in the developed world that are consuming more than their fair share of energy and water, to less wealthy cities unequipped to handle the rapid increase in geographical and population size, we will interrogate this global phenomenon by talking to the people who are trying to mitigate its worst effects – and shine a light on the upside of our population boom by exploring the social and environmental advantages of urban density.

They boast they are a force for good—and are helping in the fight against climate change.
But Peter Dauvergne, professor of international relations at the University of British Columbia in Canada, begs to differ. “The earth’s climate is drifting into an ever-deeper crisis as the shadows of mass production, transportation and industrial agriculture continue to intensify,” said Dauvergne.
Leap of Faith “We are entering a very interesting period of history where the responsible business world is running ahead of the politicians,” said Unilever, the giant Anglo-Dutch consumer goods company.
But trusting big business to lead sustainability efforts, says Dauvergne, is like trusting arsonists to be our firefighters.
For example, Walmart—the world’s biggest company by far—uses solar panels on its stores, recycles increasing amounts of its waste and donates millions of dollars to environmental causes, including the fight against climate change.
Financial Heft Dauvergne says TNCs have amassed extraordinary financial resources.
The top 500 corporations in the U.S. now account for two-thirds of the country’s gross domestic product.
For the good of the future of the planet, the public—and governments—must confront big business, says Dauvergne: the corporate world is never going to be turned into a force for social justice and planetary sustainability. “Any chance of stopping big business from destroying much of the earth will require governments and societies to reorient global environmental policies to reduce—and then restrain—the power of big business.

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